Gold honour for Clare Cole from Turitea Women's Institute

Turitea Women's Institute gold honours recipient, Clare Cole and past-president Laureen Holdaway.

Clare Cole joined the Women's Institute for companionship and friendship.

The former primary schoolteacher has given 42 years service to the organisation from when she was invited to join the Kopane group in 1978.

In 1999 when the group closed down, Cole then moved to the Glen Oroua group and when she and husband Gilbert moved into Palmerston North, she joined Turitea.

Turitea past-president Laureen Holdaway asked the members to support her recommendation for the Gold honour to be awarded to Cole.

"I was absolutely staggered at the service Clare has given. She has judged at shows and schools. Clare is a great community person."

Cole said she was amazed to receive the honour.

"You do things because that is what you are there for when you belong to an organisation."

She plays the piano and entertains at the meetings, and reads stories and poetry.

Holdaway spoke of the charity work the WI undertakes.
"We do a lot of charity work, unknown, unseen," says Holdaway.

"The organisation has raised over $30,000 for heart and Alzheimers projects.

"We also do medical research every year, and we sent money to the fires in Australia."

The women also entertain at their meetings, hold competitions, share their handcrafts and cooking.

Holdaway says the Turitea is a vibrant and energetic group. "I think women need women."

Quietly working in the background on community issues, various institutes send a remit after their meetings to the national group, which then goes to conference.

"When accepted, the remit will then go to the government agency," says Holdaway.

In two years, the Turitea group will celebrate its 90th, and next year the national Women's Institute (WI) will be 100 years old.